When being prepared for the worst, you can survive almost anything...

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It is probably no surprise to most here that I am somewhat of a "prepper" or a "survivalist," in that I try to be prepared for any situation that may happen...

Maybe this was instilled in me a little during my brief stint in the Boy Scouts as child, but I tend to believe it comes more from being raised almost as a son by my grandfather (who survived the Great Depression), and a general need to be able to face whatever life throws at us... Also, not having a whole lot of trust in people with authority doesn't hurt...

That brief intro out of the way, the purpose of this thread is to be informative to those who would take the advice I am going to offer...

Hypothetical situations can be good mental exercises. A few simple moments of inward reflection could potentially save your life.

What would you do if you were caught at your job, or on the road and an event took place that would make getting home a challenge?

This could be as simple and trivial as bad weather (ice or snow for those around the Raleigh area, lol) or as doom and gloom as an attack on the civilian populace, from a domestic or global terrorist culprit...

If you are prepared for the worst of those scenarios, you are more than likely going to easily survive the easiest...

For these potential situations, being caught away from home and your comfort zone, I carry what is called a Get Home Bag in my vehicle, and also in a locker at work, at all times. I advise everyone to make at least one of these for themselves. It only takes a little time and maybe a little money, but it could save your life.

Your GHB should include things that would help you survive for at least 72 hours. Things like bottled water, a can or so of preserved food, a change of clothes, a flashlight, some duct tape, a few different ways to start a fire, a pocketknife of some sort, a plastic trash bag/tarp/or rain poncho, a compass, $50 or so in cash, $5 or so in change, a credit card, allergy/pain/misc. medications you may need, etc. You can put all these things relatively easily in a backpack, or even a drawstring nylon or canvas laundry bag.

Hopefully, nothing bad enough would ever happen to make you abandon your vehicle, but it could. Grabbing this bag and going it by foot is a way to keep you moving while other people get stranded.

I also try to keep all these materials, plus some, loose within my vehicle in sort of one big organized vehicle kit... Other materials include tools, an emergency hand cranked radio, flashlights that are hand powered, extra food and water, an atlas, local road maps, jumper cables, extra oil and antifreeze, extra hosing and clamps, etc...

Should one of these situations arise on the more dangerous side of things (almost apocalyptic in scale) that would make human vs. human conflict a concern, be sure to familiarize yourself with alternative routes home... Railroad tracks are normally pretty straight lines between big cities and smaller towns, but other people know this too... If you choose to travel that way, be sure to do so carefully...

With that, the more doomy-gloomy type of scenario out of the way, here is another hypothetical for you...

You are out one night and find yourself needing some cash (for what, I don't know... lol), so you stop by an ATM. Out of the shadows comes a man with a gun that demands your wallet.

For situations like this, I cover my survival in a few different ways...

First off, I try to use well lit and pretty public ATMs should I ever need to do so at night... If I avoid the situation completely, I am not likely to encounter this hypothetical...

Secondly, my wallet is pretty pathetic looking compared to what most people carry. I have my driver's license, my work ID, a Food Lion MVP card, a picture or so of my wife and I, and one debit/one credit card. If you minimize the target, you minimize the damage done should someone get hold of it...

Thirdly, I often carry a "fake" wallet in my other back pocket. This is an old raggedy wallet that is bulkier due to various spammed mail fake credit cards, about $5 in one dollar bills, a generic picture out of a frame that I bought at some point, another MVP card, and various trashy things like newspaper clippings, etc. that carry no value at all but add to the bulk. Chances are that if you are ever held up, once the wallet changes hands the perp will be taking off running... Fork over the fake one and 9 times out of 10 they don't even catch on before they have left the scene and you go about your business...

Other good tips to avoid/survive this situation involve not making yourself a target (don't wear a lot of jewelry, etc.), keeping cash on you/in your vehicle, getting a concealed carry firearms permit...

So, there you have it... Some good tips on being prepared.

The mentality behind these tips should flow throughout your entire everyday life.

Keep your home stocked with canned goods, and don't be so quick to throw away those with expired "Best by" dates... Those things, so long as the can/jar isn't damaged and oxygen has never entered into the contents, will often last decades beyond that date.

Have some iodine in the house, as it can be used (in VERY SMALL parts) to aid in water purification.

Buy yourself some Potassium Iodide to keep on hand should the worst case scenario of nuclear fallout occur. These pills help your thyroid block radioiodine in radiation, and will deter you from getting thyroid cancer in that scenario.

Get a generator, and keep an extra can of gas around the house.

Research/invest in alternative energy sources.

Discuss a mutual plan with nearby friends or relatives should the worst of the worst happen.

Keep copies of important documents in a safe, either in your vehicle, or somewhere you can grab it and go if the need arises.

Some will see a lot of these things as paranoia, but I can easily say that none of these are fear driven...

However, it is because I am prepared for the worst that I am not afraid of it...

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now this is interesting because I have a camping secrets book. I just looked at this chapter the other day about a kid who made his own survival can. it was a 1lb coffee can with a plumbers candle, zip lock bags etc.

I prefer to keep my Get Home Bag close enough that it overrules the Altoid tin...

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CatofWar

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Posted 19 Nov 2010

I carry a BOB that has 3 days worth of supplies in it: Food, one bottle of water, water purification tablets, clothes, soap, first aid, matches, lighter, small caliber pistol with 200 rounds of ammo, you get the picture. I work close enough to home that I could hump it easily. But once you get home, depending on the events, you are faced with bugging out or bugging in.

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I carry a BOB that has 3 days worth of supplies in it: Food, one bottle of water, water purification tablets, clothes, soap, first aid, matches, lighter, small caliber pistol with 200 rounds of ammo, you get the picture. I work close enough to home that I could hump it easily. But once you get home, depending on the events, you are faced with bugging out or bugging in.

Yeah, I'm about 35 miles from home at work, and could easily make that trip on foot if I had to in 24 hours...

That is one reason I keep a bag in my truck and at work, so I can grab it and go...

I'll be bugging in though, once I get there, should the shtf...

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I have mentioned this a few times but I have a contingency plan with wife and kids. Depending on the event they are to go to Albemarle. Everybody in Charlotte willl get on 85 and 77 and try to head to the mountains etc.

I'm going away from the traffic to the middle of the state ASAP.

Also gonna get a CB radio sinec bandwidth will be spent during an emergency.

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I have mentioned this a few times but I have a contingency plan with wife and kids. Depending on the event they are to go to Albemarle. Everybody in Charlotte willl get on 85 and 77 and try to head to the mountains etc.

I'm going away from the traffic to the middle of the state ASAP.

Also gonna get a CB radio sinec bandwidth will be spent during an emergency.

Good luck with that both would either be shutdown or so packed you couldnt move. Dont know if you travel 77 right before Christmas but it is a PITA and you can expect to wait forever. If you want to do that take the back roads but stay off the main roads.